For developing, producing, engineering, or project planning as well as for configuration or also modification of automation systems, it is desirable from the standpoint of costs for activities arising during the production, project planning, configuration or modification of the automation system to be undertaken by persons who are based at different locations. The usual current practice is thus to employ personnel based in different countries when producing automation systems. The actual automation system to be produced or configured can be located in any country.
To enable such international production or configuration of automation systems to be undertaken, tools have been employed in the prior art which allow persons tasked with the production or configuration of the automation system to access files which are required for producing or configuring the automation system and are stored on the automation system via a data link, such as a telephone line for example. In accordance with the prior art tools which are known to the person skilled in the art under names such as “PC Anywhere” or also “Netmeeting” are used.
Tools such as “PC Anywhere” or “Netmeeting” are also generally referred to as remoting tools. A person tasked with the production or configuration of the automation system and who gains access to the required files via this type of remoting tool is also referred to as a remote client.
With the remoting tools such as “PC Anywhere” and “Netmeeting” known from the prior art, the remote client dials in via a conventional telephone line to a device for production or configuration of the automation system. To enable a client to do this, the identical remoting tools must be installed on the device for production and configuration of the automation system—in the case described here a central server—and on the remote client. In accordance with the prior art there is thus a requirement for identical remoting tools to be present both on the remote client side and on the server side. Otherwise it is not possible for the remote client to access the server. In addition it is only ever possible in the prior art for one remote client to access the device for production or configuration of the automation system. Devices known from the prior art do not thus have multiuser capabilities.